The Prime Minister’s brother-in-law Iulian Hertanu is being investigated on suspicions of having colluded with others to set up a bid rigging ring that acted to illegally win the contract for the expansion of the Comarnic city sewerage network, judicial sources told Agerpres on Tuesday.
Hertanu was brought by order to the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) – Ploiesti Local Office, for hearings after DNA prosecutors conducted 14 searches in Bucharest and the Municipality of Ploiesti in a case concerning corruption and fraud acts with European funds.
Before him, county councilman Mihai Coman was brought in. Coman was for several years member of Social Democratic Party (PSD) Prahova and at present he is member of National Liberal Party (PNL) Prahova and employed as case manager of SC Hidro Prahova SRL, a company conducting a contract on European funds for building water and sewage networks in several localities of the county.
The prosecutors brought several documents in information stocking devices. According to judicial sources, four persons will be heard in this case.
The same sources said that the criminal group includes Iulian Hertanu – as the statutory, and as of April 25, 2014, the actual manager of SC Grossman Engineering Group Ltd, and employee of SC CVR Asfalt Construct Group SRL Dobroesti – Ilfov County; Vladimir Razvan Ciorba, a manager and partner with several companies, SC CVR Asfalt Construct Group SRL included; as well as Mihail Marian Coman – manager / partner with SC Indserv SRL Ploiesti and, as of May 24, 2012, also advisor to the CEO of SC Hidro Prahova SA.
According to the cited sources, the aforementioned suspects set up a ring with the purpose of “acting towards illegally winning the works contract for the ‘Expansion of the Comarnic City Sewerage Network’ – signed on January 13, 2012 between the association SC Grossman Engineering Group SRL – SC EURO CONSTRUCT TRADING 98 SRL and SC Hidro Prahova SA Ploiesti, a contract largely financed from EU funds, and towards the misappropriation of large amounts of money by changing, in breach of the legal provisions, the destination of the financing obtained under the EU-funded project and shunning the payment of the due contributions to the state budget by reporting false spending or fictitious operations in the documents of the companies they controlled.”
Ghita placed under criminal investigation?
Brought also by order for hearings to the National Anti-corruption Directorate (DNA) Ploiesti Local Office on Tuesday, deputy Sebastian Ghita (photo) was placed under criminal investigation for improper use of influence and authority, in order to award undue benefits onto another judiciary sources told Agerpres.
Before entering the institution headquarters, he said he supposed he was there about the case investigating the activity of Prime Minister Ponta’s brother-in-law, Iulian Hertanu.
Ghita pointed out, in reply to journalists’ questions, that he knew Hertanu, but that he didn’t have a “very close” relation with him.
Social Democratic Party (PSD) Deputy Vlad Cosma is also present at the National Anti-corruption Directorate (DNA) Ploiesti Local Office, on Tuesday, where his father, Prahova County Council President Mircea Cosma, Deputy Sebastian Ghita and Iulian Hertanu, Prime Minister Victor Ponta’s brother-in-law, were also brought in for hearings.
PM Ponta on Twitter: I have no knowledge of this investigation, I don’t wish to comment upon it
Prime Minister Victor Ponta said on Tuesday, on Twitter, that he has no knowledge of the investigations regarding his brother-in-law and does not wish to comment upon them.
“I do not know and it would be wrong for me to comment on the investigations done by prosecutors regarding my brother-in-law. The law should be equal for all”, said Ponta on Twitter.
